Week 5 | Becoming A Truck Driver: Help, Stories, Advice, and Opinions

Archive of posts filed under the Week 5 category.

Oh Where, Oh Where Did the Wolfie Go?

Posted by Adrian "Old Wolf" Nunenkamp on 3 June 2009, 4:46 am

After many long weeks, a minor back injury, and some trouble with one of the tests, my CDL schooling is coming to an end and it appears I’ve landed my first truck driving job. Oh happy days!

Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Passing The CDL Test, Week 5. Tagged attending truck driving school, CDL training, getting your CDL, hard lessons learned, truck driver training, trucking school

3 Comments

After My Graduation – Final Thoughts and Advice For Those Considering Truck Driving School

Posted by TruckerMike on 23 February 2009, 6:40 am

Wow, I can’t believe my CDL training is over. It seems like just yesterday I was so anxious to get started. Now here I am with a CDL driver’s license in my pocket as I write this. They actually trust me to drive an 80,000 pound truck?!? Yikes! Luckily I’ll be eased into that with a [...]

Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Passing The CDL Test, Week 5.

3 Comments

CDL Test Day – What It Was Like Taking (and passing!) the CDL Test

Posted by TruckerMike on 20 February 2009, 8:45 am

Wow, the day has finally arrived! We are scheduled to take our CDL road test today! We got about 2 inches of snow last night which is not a big deal around here, but I was still a bit concerned about the road conditions. The last thing I wanted was another delay in getting my [...]

Filed under Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Week 5. Tagged attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL, taking the CDL test

4 Comments

CDL Training – Our Training Truck Breakdown!

Posted by TruckerMike on 20 February 2009, 5:04 am

The last week and a half, we have been doing nothing but preparing for the CDL exam. By the way, we now have a free online CDL practice test. Basically, we’ve been rotating between the yard skills test and the road course so we could be as prepared as possible. We have two road trucks…the [...]

Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Week 5. Tagged attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL

1 Comment

TruckingTruth and BigRigDriving are owned by Brett Aquila, a 15 year truck driving veteran with 1.5 million miles covering all 48 continental states and a large portion of Canada.
BigRigDriving is dedicated to those interested in research, debates, and discussion of topics within the trucking industry	TruckingTruth is dedicated to those considering becoming a truck driver or are new to the trucking industry.	Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving - By Brett Aquila If you're considering becoming a truck driver, this is the book for you!
Our Most Recent Trucking Blogs (scroll down) Attending Truck Driving School Part I Posted on 10 March 2010 @ 12:24 pm Priceville, Alabama was where my trucking adventure began. A Super 8 motel room would be my home for the next three weeks while I attended CDL school. I did not know what to expect on the first day, but I met a wide range of personalities in the other students. It was incredible to see the diversity. Becoming An American Trucker Posted on 8 March 2010 @ 10:11 am I was probably one of the most unlikely candidates to become a truck driver that the world has ever seen. I had spent the past 20 years of my life working in television broadcasting in various roles. While it had been exciting and challenging at first, the years had eroded my role into a thankless and suffocating rut. I seriously needed a change...a new experience. This is the beginning of my story - the life of an American Trucker. Not Much Help For The Drivers Posted on 7 March 2010 @ 12:41 pm The Qualcomm system at most companies have directions to customers listed, but a lot of the time the directions are wrong. Unfortunately, even when dispatchers and customers know the directions are wrong nobody seems to care enough to do anything about it. Here's an example of the mess it can cause. Cargo Theft Increasing: Highways Are Getting More Dangerous For Truckers Posted on 5 March 2010 @ 1:53 pm Truck and cargo thefts are on the rise in recent years according to a study done by Freight Watch International, a company that "actively tracks and records cargo theft activity around the globe" according to their report and website. Every year they release a report showing not only the number of cargo-related thefts, but they identify trends from year to year. The statistics are a bit scary, and getting scarier every single year. Truck Driving Down Donner Pass Posted on 4 March 2010 @ 3:40 pm Until recently, I had never actually been on Donner's Pass in California. Donners Pass is usually touted as one of the more dangerous areas for truck drivers and is the site of many fatal accidents. It's quite an experience! I had the pleasure of going through it at night. I would have liked to take it during the day so I could see some of the scenery around me, but I'm sure I'll get that chance in the future. I was still able to make some key observations though... Our Trucking Adventure Begins Posted on 1 March 2010 @ 5:11 pm Hello readers. My name is Cathy Rubens. My husband Steve and I started our trucking adventure in October of 2008. These writing will be done in the form of flashbacks, with some things from the past and some things from the present. Steve and I will be writing about the events and happening from our respective points of view. The flashbacks will be stories of happenings and musings from events as remembered by us. Don’t Step On Your Dispatcher’s Toes (or other body parts!) Posted on 26 February 2010 @ 2:11 pm Outside of the driver's own performance and attitude, a truck driver's dispatcher is one of the most important factors influencing the amount of success and happiness a driver will experience at any given trucking company or truck driving job. So if you're unhappy with your load assignments, how can you tell if the problems you're experiencing are your own fault, your dispatcher's fault, or the fault of someone else within the offices at your company? There are several things you can do to find out what's really going on, and who is responsible when there is a problem. Is Trucking In Your Blood? Posted on 25 February 2010 @ 3:23 pm Would you drive a truck if the trucking company you worked for only paid you enough to cover your bills at home and your meals, but nothing more after that? For me the answer would be yes. I love driving and I would do it for free. Trucking is in my blood. Do you love driving a truck? Really love it? If so, then trucking is in your blood. To me, there is a difference between liking your job and loving it. Liking your job means you enjoy going to work, you enjoy the people you work with, you enjoy doing your job. Loving your job means you would do it for free! For me, trucking fits the bill. Which CDL Endorsements Should I Get? Posted on 17 February 2010 @ 1:42 pm When you attend truck driving school, even a company sponsored CDL school, you'll have to decide which endorsements to get when taking your CDL test. We'll talk about which CDL endorsements are available, how you get these endorsements, what it takes to keep them, and why they are important. CSA 2010 Will Not Assign Safety Ratings to Individual Drivers (yeah right!) Posted on 11 February 2010 @ 1:49 pm CSA 2010, as is typical of any government-run program, is already full of misconceptions, contradictions, and confusion. Trucker drivers are obviously concerned about their safety rating and how that will affect their current job, and prospects for truck driving jobs in the future. Well, oddly enough, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration) claims there is not going to be a safety rating assigned to individual company drivers at all. And yet they clearly state that when a carrier gets audited, their driver's safety records will be reviewed. They also have a pre-employment screening program in place to allow trucking companies to get driver safety information before hiring a driver. Will this pre-employment screening and safety rating system apply to owner-operators only? What effects will CSA 2010 have on company drivers? Let's take a look.
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Becoming A Truck Driver:
Help, Stories, Advice, and Opinions

Oh Where, Oh Where Did the Wolfie Go?

After My Graduation – Final Thoughts and Advice For Those Considering Truck Driving School

CDL Test Day – What It Was Like Taking (and passing!) the CDL Test

CDL Training – Our Training Truck Breakdown!

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Our Most Recent Trucking Blogs (scroll down)

Attending Truck Driving School Part I

Becoming An American Trucker

Not Much Help For The Drivers

Cargo Theft Increasing: Highways Are Getting More Dangerous For Truckers

Truck Driving Down Donner Pass

Our Trucking Adventure Begins

Don’t Step On Your Dispatcher’s Toes (or other body parts!)

Is Trucking In Your Blood?

Which CDL Endorsements Should I Get?

CSA 2010 Will Not Assign Safety Ratings to Individual Drivers (yeah right!)

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